The Dreams of a Demon
by thatreevesgirl
Summary: Grimmjow is made an unexpected ally of Ichigo and his friends.  The hollow swears that he will kill Ichigo with no remorse and retake his pride and place as an Espada.  Too bad those aren't Grimmjow's real aspirations. YaoiIchigo x Grimmjow, Renji x Rukia


**_Dreams of a Demon  
Author:_** thatreevesgirl/Lemon Drops (both me)_  
**Main Pairings: **_Grimmjow x Ichigo, Renji x Rukia**_  
Warnings: _**YAOI, Alternate Timeline Starting at about Chapter 300**, Spoilers **up till that point

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Prologue_**: 

Ichigo remembered the raspy order he had given Orihime. "Heal her first," he had said, referring to Nell. He watched in awe as the little Hollow's body seemed to creep and grow, slipping slowly back into her adult form as Orihime healed her. Nell was no longer Nell, she was Neliel. She was tall and curvy and statuesque. Her smile was warm, but something about her demanded respect. It made Ichigo wonder if he'd made the right decision. Was this version of Nell safe? Stable?

She seemed to sense Ichigo's unease. Breaking apart some spirit particles, consuming them to regain energy, the former Espada nodded at her friend. Neliel looked Ichigo straight in the eye, a cold, unwavering conviction in her voice as she stated flatly, "I am no different from the Shinigami you fight beside, and they are no different than me." It wasn't something Ichigo understood then, nor would he for a long time. Neliel never bothered to clarify it in that moment.

When Neliel had been Nell, when this striking woman, an elite Hollow, had been nothing more than a little girl with a lisp and a penchant to latch onto Ichigo blindly, she had been his ally. Now, it seemed different, the wrongness of their alliance a shade darker than it had been before. She appeared to be a reasonable, calm person. When Neliel grinned it was reminiscent of the little Hollow Ichigo had met upon entering Hueco Mundo. Still, her smile was dissimilar, perhaps a bit more worldly or wise.

She strode a few yards, taking in the sight of the broken bodies of her and Ichigo's true enemies, the ones she felt no remorse for as they lay dead in the sand. Ichigo half expected her to spit on or kick the remnants of Nnoitra, because her eyes bore holes into his lifeless corpse. Then she moved a bit further, considering the latest defector of Aizen. The beautiful Arancar laid her hands upon the tattered remains of Grimmjow's body, a small huffing sound escaping Neliel's lungs and she quirked her brows together. "Some of us," she said, "Aren't aware how we parallel our enemies." Glancing at Ichigo, Neliel promptly corrected herself, "Perhaps I should say former enemy."

Her dusky gold eyes glinted as her fingertips traced over Grimmjow's abdomen, the slashes in his shoulders, the deep cuts which penetrated his chest, and finally over his heart. "Your friend can undo this, just like she undid what happened to me."

Neliel made no more effort in examining the Hollow with the shocking, blue mess of hair and half formed mask over his right cheek. She stepped aside and away from the broken body of Grimmjow Jaggerjack, shrugging him off like a nuisance or a child who she had little patience for.

Ichigo sat up, wincing reflexively at the pain he expected to shoot through his body, but Orihime had done a fine job of healing him. There wasn't any tenderness to be found in his joints or muscles. Orihime had the power to undo what had been done. Ichigo was alive and well. His soul was back to the condition before his battles here in Hueco Mundo. Similarly, Neliel was now returned to what she was before Nell. The innocent child she had been was merely the product of her own brokenness.

There was a wash of warm, dry air blowing past. It whipped Neliel's hair back and forth as she surveyed their location. She brought one of her hands up to the sharp arch of her brows, using it to shield herself from the bright light as she squinted at the fortress of Aizen. Coldly, she reaffirmed her own defection to Ichigo, her words resolute and assured. "I am your ally, Ichigo. We will fight together…"

The next thing Neliel said was quieter, not meant for Ichigo's ears, but he heard it all the same. It was her addendum which caused shivers to traverse the young Shinigami's spine.

"…with the hope of regaining our humanity," she whispered.


End file.
